Over the last few months I have communicated with our campus community several times
about the expiration of our strategic plan, Vision 2017, and the creation of a new
strategic plan, Vision 2025.

Through focus groups and surveys, a great deal of information about perceived strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats has been collected from campus constituents,
including faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members.

The next major step in the strategic planning process will be a meeting of the University
Planning Council. This group will hold its first meeting tomorrow and will begin
by assimilating the information collected through the environmental scan.

In the interest of keeping our entire campus community engaged in the planning process,
we have established a "Planning Portal" which houses the data and other information being provided to the Planning Council.
Additionally, as the Council makes progress toward developing Vision 2025, updates
will be shared with the campus via the Portal.

The university's strategic plan helps guide our work, shape new initiatives and focus
resource allocations. I appreciate the willingness of our University Planning Council
members to engage in the very important work of updating and revising our strategic
plan.

I encourage the entire campus community to stay informed and engaged in the planning
process.